Borderline personality disorder and the role of art therapy: A discussion of its utility from the perspective of those with a lived experience

Drawing on the lived experience of four members of Emergence, a service user-led organisation, this article debates the utility of the term ‘borderline personality disorder’, considers how therapeutic approaches might best address the difficulties associated with the diagnosis and specifically discusses the role art therapy might play in therapeutic processes. We critically engage with the complexities of being given a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. We begin to demonstrate the transcendent possibilities of art therapy for people who struggle with a sense of identity, connection with others and the expression of often intense and polarised emotions, while remaining mindful of the complexities that art therapy may present.